


A Brief History of Jurassic World

by CJCroen1393



Category: Jurassic Park (Movies), Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Other, Reference Guide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-07 12:36:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4263501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJCroen1393/pseuds/CJCroen1393
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Delve into the rise, fall and rebirth of one of the greatest theme parks in the world!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Table of Contents

**Table of Contents**

1\. Introduction: "Welcome to Jurassic World!"  
1.1. A Tale of Two Islands  
1.2. The Park is Open  
2\. The Park: Dinosaurs (and other prehistoric creatures)  
3\. The Park: Main Street  
4\. The Park: Innovation Center  
5\. The Park: Creation Lab  
6\. The Park: Mosasaurus Feeding Show and Underwater Observatory  
7\. The Park: Tyrannosaurus Rex Kingdom  
8\. The Park: Gentle Giants Petting Zoo  
9\. The Park: Pachy Arena  
10\. The Park: Cretaceous Cruise  
11\. The Park: Aviary  
12\. The Park: Gallimimus Valley  
13\. The Park: Triceratops Territory  
14\. The Park: Gyrosphere  
15\. The Park: Other Attractions  
16\. Closing Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for something completely different!
> 
> About the only thing I didn't like about Jurassic World is the fact that the film didn't explore the park that much; all the wonderful attractions are shoved off to the background in favor of plot points like the kids' parents divorcing and the ACU being slaughtered three days before their retirement (no I will not stop making that joke). 
> 
> Claire mentioned that the park was and still is extremely popular and that dialogue left me thirsty for more world building; such statements as the fact that people were fascinated by the de-extinction process, that the park gains massive news coverage and "celebrity visitors" whenever they unveil a new attraction. It raised so many questions: What news channels cover it? Is CNN talking about them? Is Fox News making sensationalist news stories about how "science has doomed us all and Jurassic World is proof of it"? And which celebrities are visiting the park? Are they movie stars or musicians? Are they has beens who are desperate to stay relevant and jumping on the first thing they know will be popular? And what does the general public think? How do rival theme parks feel? Is PETA making distasteful and insulting commercials to try and claim that JW is abusing its dinosaurs? Will I ever let PETA live down their "Silent Scream" advertisement? The answer to that last one is no, no I won't. 
> 
> So I have been fascinated by the idea of exploring the world and mechanics behind Jurassic World, so I decided to write this, which is supposed to be something like a reference guide to the park, similar to those behind the scenes books for movies (like, just as one example, "The Art of..." books). 
> 
> A little twist to this one, however: It's actually an AU! Not majorly AU because it's mostly the same except for one little detail, which will be revealed in the "Dinosaurs" section...


	2. 1. Introduction: "Welcome to Jurassic World!"

_"The most advanced amusement park in the entire world. And I'm not just talking about rides, you know? Everybody has rides. No, we have made living biological attractions so astounding, that they'll capture the imaginations of the entire planet. "_  
-John Parker Hammond, 1993

Jurassic World. Good theme park. Great theme park. Heck, let's not kid ourselves, it's an absolutely fantastic theme park, having beaten out the Magic Kingdom as the most visited theme park in the world after merely a year of being open! If you're reading this, you've probably heard about the park, be it from a friend, a family member or maybe even TV. Or maybe you've been to the park already (or are there right now) and wanted to know the story behind it. Either way, ever since its opening on June 11th 2005, the park has garnered worldwide attention and fame.

Why? We all know why! Jurassic World can offer the public something no other theme park can: Living, breathing _dinosaurs!_

How is this possible you may ask? Through the miracle of cloning, of course! The good people at International Genetics ("InGen") have discovered a remarkable method of de-extinction that can extend even to Mesozoic organisms, a process once thought to be impossible. They managed to extract genetic material from prehistoric mosquitoes preserved in amber and soft tissue traces from other organisms. From there, the genetics teams fill the gaps in the animals' genetic codes with those of other animals, including closely related creatures like crocodiles and birds for the dinosaurs and their winged cousins, the pterosaurs as well as monitor lizards and snakes for the aquatic _Mosasaurus_. Frogs were once used to fill the gaps, but there were unfortunate and unintended consequences coming from this so they were scrapped.

Jurassic World's success can't simply be owed to the fact that it houses prehistoric reptiles, though, and indeed it almost didn't make it off the ground! Ever since its birth and construction as "Jurassic Park" in November of 1990, the park had struggled to gain real financial traction. And the incident that occurred in May of 1993 certainly didn't help, as you will read in the next chapter.


	3. 1.1. Introduction: A Tale of Two Islands

**Site A: Isla Nublar**

"Jurassic World" began life as "Jurassic Park", a dream in the mind of the late Dr. John Parker Hammond (1913-1997) that began construction on the northern part of Isla Nublar in November of 1990. Hammond had bought two islands, both situated off the coast of Costa Rica and set up camp on Nublar, wherein the park's facilities were built. Naturally, the genetics lab, headed by celebrated geneticist Dr. Henry Wu was made first, quickly followed by the control center, security headquarters and emergency bunker. The main park, including the enclosures, the visitor's center and the tours were made last. From there, it was just a matter of making the dinosaurs and their prehistoric neighbors (you will learn more about them in chapter three). The second island, Isla Sorna, was intended to be used as a breeding facility for the animals but was later abandoned due to a hurricane.

Each species was made one at a time. The larger dinosaurs were cloned first, just to get all difficulties in housing them out of the way. The smaller dinosaurs followed, then came the flying pterosaurs (for whom a special aviary would be constructed). The aquatic reptiles would come last. With almost everything in place, the park was scheduled to open on June of 1993. But soon a tragic setback had occurred; in May that very same year, one of the highly intelligent and volatile _Velociraptors_ managed to get her claws on a worker during the initial attempt to transport her to her permanent enclosure. The worker tragically lost his life and Hammond, at the urging of his attorney Donald Gennaro and game warden Robert Muldoon, sought outside opinion from three well-known scientists. He chose renowned paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, celebrated paleobotanist Dr. Ellen "Ellie" Degler (nee Sattler) and famously eccentric mathematician/Jeff Goldblum impersonator Dr. Ian Malcolm. Joining them on the tour were Hammond's young grandchildren, Timothy "Tim" Murphy and Alexis "Lex" Murphy (currently a paleontologist and computer technician respectively), in an attempt to test the park to its "target audience". Unfortunately, things went awry very quickly, as the power throughout the park was cut that night, leading to the escape of several animals.

The majority of the incident is still shrouded in mystery, as the park's officials had opted not to make everything known to the public and they retain that level of secrecy to this day. What is known is that the incident led to the deaths of Donald Gennaro and chief engineer Ray Arnold, as well as the severe injuring of Robert Muldoon. The cause of the park's initial failure was not fully understood until sometime later at the trial of one Mr. Lewis Dodgson, former head of BioSyn and long term rival of John Hammond, who eventually confessed that it was an inside job. Dodgson had bribed the park's computer programmer, Dennis Nedry, to shut down the park's power so that he could steal dinosaur embryos from Dr. Wu's lab without being caught by the security systems. However, Nedry went missing sometime during the incident and hasn't been seen since. Dodgson confirms that Nedry never made it to their rendezvous spot and suggests that he either died during the incident or made off with the embryos and money for himself. Whatever the case, Dodgson was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his part in the park's downfall.

But the park's story didn't end there.

**Site B: Isla Sorna**

Jurassic World's story would soon be picked up at Isla Sorna. As previously stated, Sorna was meant to be a facility for the dinosaurs to breed without having to do so in the wild, but a hurricane forced all staff to leave. The animals had been living there ever since, with the park opting instead to create a failsafe with the dinosaurs all being cloned to be female. 

Isla Sorna was soon the area that began two noteworthy controversies. The first occurred in 1997, when InGen faced a lawsuit after a young girl named Cathy Bowman was attacked by a swarm of _Compsognathus_ during a vacation to the island. Hammond's nephew, Peter Ludlow used this incident to seize control the company. Hammond had previously sent biologist Sarah Malcolm (nee Harding) to research the island, prompting her then-boyfriend Ian Malcolm to search for her. The majority of the events afterward were covered up by InGen, but they somehow led to the deaths of multiple people and the release of a full grown bull _Tyrannosaurus rex_ rampaging through San Diego, causing millions of dollars of property damage and the loss of countless lives. Fortunately, the dinosaur was captured and sent back to the island successfully, though his offspring managed to kill Ludlow, prompting Dr. Wu to take over InGen, remaining in charge to this day.

On August 24th of that very same year, Hammond died of natural causes. On his deathbed, he handed ownership of his company and the park to his protege Simon Masrani, owner of Masrani Global.

Despite Isla Sorna being declared off-limits after the incident, the island became host to one last incident, kicked off by some illegal activity in 2001. A teenage boy by the name of Eric Kirby (now a paleontologist and working alongside Dr. Murphy) had gotten lost on the island and his parents asked for the assistance of Dr. Alan Grant and his assistant Billy Brennan to retrieve him. This incident somehow led to the escape of a flock of highly territorial _Pteranodons_ , which proceeded to fly off to the mainland searching for a new roost. The escaped pterosaurs made it all the way to Canada when a man by the name of Victor Hoskins tracked them down and killed them, earning him a spot as head of Jurassic World's security. 

Evidently this was the last straw, as the government had at last declared Isla Sorna too dangerous to remain open. Reluctantly, Masrani ordered for Site B to be destroyed by napalm bombing, killing all of the animals situated there.

Yet Isla Nublar remained untouched and the park would once again see the light of day, beginning in November of 2002.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes about this chapter:
> 
>  _The date of JP's construction:_  
>  This is a reference to the publishing date of the Jurassic Park novel by Michael Crichton.
> 
>  _The month of the 1993 Isla Nublar incident:_  
>  I changed it from June to May because the park was meant to open in the following month, I think (I can't remember if he said "next month" or "June of next year". Anyone who remembers better than I do, please comment and I'll correct this mistake.
> 
>  _The Destruction of Site B:_  
>  This was inspired by the ending of the first novel, wherein Isla Nublar is destroyed via napalm bombing.
> 
>  _Dates:_  
>  Hammond's birth year and death day are actually those of his actor, Richard Attenborough.
> 
> EDIT: I keep getting Muldoon's first name wrong! Fixed it and to make up for it, I decided to have him survive like he did in the book!


	4. 1.2. Introduction: The Park is Open

Masrani Global began building the new park south of the old one in 2002, constructing new enclosures for each animal. Reopening the park did not appear easy, especially considering the fact that several of the animals, including the _Tyrannosaurus rex_ (named "Rexy" by the staff), the _Brachiosaurus_ and a small pack of _Dilophosaurus_ , were still wild across the park. But sure enough, Rexy was relocated without much of a problem, while the _Brachiosaurus_ and _Dilophosaurus_ were allowed to roam free in the restricted area north of the main park after much discussion.

Under Masrani's guidance, the park was completed after merely two years and the park was officially opened in June of 2005.

The park opened to worldwide praise and sure enough, it beat out the Disney parks as the most visited theme park after merely a year of being open. Every time a new attraction is unveiled attendance spikes, receiving worldwide news coverage and celebrity endorsements. Just last year, the park was visited by Sir David Attenborough, who interviewed several staff members and praised the park for its splendor and magnificence. Before that, we had visits from Taylor Swift, Orlando Bloom and Oprah Winfrey, all of whom praised the park for its amazing biological attractions. Today, the park gets 20,000 visitors a day and makes hundreds of dollars a minute.

But not everyone praised the park. Paleontologists have long criticized the park for showing the dinosaurs that the public _wanted_ to see and not showing the animals as they were in life. Noteworthy criticisms include featherless theropods, elephantine sauropods, pterosaurs with grasping talons and one oversized _Mosasaurus_ , as well as Main Street's outdated _Spinosaurus_ skeleton. Ethical issues of keeping a dinosaur zoo were also thrown about by both paleontologists and laymen alike, asking how such a park would be able to provide every creature with everything they need. Arguments about the _rights_ of these animals were another matter entirely, but we'll get to that later.

Rival theme parks were not too happy either. The aforementioned Disney parks repeatedly attempted to buy Jurassic World and all of its associated properties from Masrani Global, being denied every time. Joel Manby, owner of SeaWorld, had expressed anger at the fact that he was undergoing considerable controversy for the treatment of their whales and yet Jurassic World faced no such controversy for the way their Mosasaurus was showcased, which was nigh identical to the shows SeaWorld's marine mammals participated in. Universal Studios was somewhat more supportive of the park, however, possibly due to Masrani Global handing over advertising rights to them.

The people involved in the original incident of 1993 and incidents afterward, had various mixed views on the new park. Dr. Alan Grant was quoted as saying _"No force on Heaven or Earth can make me set foot on that island again"_ when asked if he would check out the park. Dr. Ian Malcolm confessed that he was hoping the rumors of the new park opening would turn out to be a cruel, sick joke, though he was glad to let the park market his book "God Creates Dinosaurs" in its gift shops. Dr. Ellie Degler agreed to come to the island briefly to take a look at the Botanical Gardens, but flatly refused to look at any dinosaur related attractions beyond the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo and repeatedly asked if Masrani was absolutely sure he wanted to open the park to the public. Dr. Tim Murphy visited for a while, stating that his grandfather "would be heartbroken" if he didn't, and admitted that he quite enjoyed himself and was surprised to see how safe it was. His sister visited for the same reason, but she was somewhat more on edge than he was, quoted as saying: _"Timmy and Uncle Alan can tell me they're animals until they're blue in the mouth, but after that day on the island, I will never see them as anything more than monsters."_

Survivors of the Isla Sorna Incident of 1997 were also asked to visit the park. Dr. Sarah Malcolm had visited the park without fear and assisted veterinary professionals at the park (her father, Gerald Harding, was once the park's chief veterinarian but is currently retired). After her first visit, she gladly admitted that she had a lovely time and that if she could clear her schedule she would visit more often. Kelly Malcolm was also asked to visit the park and opted to spend the majority of her day in the non-carnivorous attractions. She cited the Gyrosphere Valley as her favorite attraction. Nick Van Owen was in prison on charges unrelated to the incident and therefore not available to go to the park.

Survivors of the Isla Sorna Incident of 2001 were also asked to visit, with essentially the same responses. Dr. Grant's assistant, Billy Brennan considered coming to the island only to change his mind when he heard about the Aviary. Eric Kirby and his parents visited the island for a day, which consisted of his father breaking into a cold sweat upon seeing the _Spinosaurus_ skeleton and Eric himself suffering a minor panic attack after visiting the Aviary. 

Naturally, more controversial viewpoints were thrown into the mix as well. We're all aware of Fox News' sensationalist coverage on the park, repeatedly reporting that science has "doomed us all" thanks to Jurassic World's genetic technology and the extremist religious folks who ignore the genetic science to bring the park to life and insist that the park's dinosaurs are proof that "science is wrong". Ethical issues from animal rights activists were also fairly common, the most controversial being an advertisement by PETA. The advertisement involved a woman in an Victorian setting suddenly being ripped from her time period, shaved until she's bald and forced into a tiny cage where people laugh and gawk at her, before pulling back to reveal that she was actually a _Velociraptor_ (rendered in incredibly ugly CGI) with the caption "It's really no different" appearing underneath. This advertisement blatantly ignored several facts about the park, including the facts that the cloning process does not literally rip the animals from their time periods, the raptors are not yet safe to be showcased in the park and the fact that the animals are born with no feathers anyway due to genetic shortcuts. Naturally both sides of the argument were disgusted by the ad, which was pulled only two days after it aired, and PETA's representatives had issued a public apology.

Regardless of all these differing opinions, the park remains open. Guests still visit and still marvel at the animals that call the park home. And in the next chapters, we'll take you deeper into the park's mechanisms and our animals...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more notes about the chapter:
> 
>  _Theme Park Reactions:_  
>  Like I said, I'm curious to know how rival theme parks reacted to Jurassic World. I'm almost certain the Walt Disney corporation would have attempted to get their claws into it, seeing as they'll either try to buy or outdo anything that starts to make more money than them XD
> 
>  _Celebrity Visitors:_  
>  I mostly just picked a few random celebs from a list I found online. David Attenborough was added because I just know he'd visit too.
> 
>  _Survivor reactions to the park:_  
>  Several of these (particularly Sarah's) were inspired by this fanfic by CalicoKitten: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4256235?view_adult=true BTW, READ IT! IT'S AWESOME!
> 
>  _PETA:_  
>  This one was meant to be a not-so-subtle jab at PETA's infamous "Silent Scream" advertisement. As I said before, I'll never let them live that down.


	5. 2. The Park: Dinosaurs

Of course, none of that technical stuff is why you are here. You want to hear about the dinosaurs (and other critters)!

Jurassic World started with a surprising batch of creatures, an entire list was put together by InGen of animals they wanted to clone. The original list was as follows:

* Apatosaurus/Camarasaurus  
* Baryonyx  
* Carnotaurus  
* Cearadactylus (pterosaur)  
* Dilophosaurus  
* Dryosaurus  
* Euoplocephalus  
* Hadrosaurus  
* Hypsilophodon  
* Maiasaura  
* Meganeura (insect)  
* Metriacanthosaurus  
* Microceratus  
* Mussaurus  
* Ornitholestes  
* Othnielia  
* Pachycephalosaurus  
* Parasaurolophus  
* Procompsognathus  
* Pteranodon (pterosaur)  
* Stegosaurus  
* Styracosaurus  
* Triceratops  
* Tyrannosaurus rex  
* Velociraptor

Over the course of the park's development, the list was revised for reasons that will be explained here and in later chapters. The first revision of the list removed several animals, and replaced some of them with others. Most removed specimens were removed from the list before cloning, but a few were removed after. The first revision looked like this:

* Ankylosaurus  
* Apatosaurus  
* Baryonyx  
* Brachiosaurus  
* ~~Carnotaurus~~ (removed because there were too many large predators to begin with)  
* ~~Cearadactylus~~ (removed due to several attacks on workers in their enclosure and to avoid competition with Pteranodon, existing specimens relocated to Isla Sorna)  
* Compsognathus  
* Dilophosaurus  
* ~~Dryosaurus~~ (removed due to obscurity and overcrowding)  
* Edmontosaurus  
* ~~Euoplocephalus~~ (removed due to similarity to the newly cloned Ankylosaurus)  
* Gallimimus  
* ~~Hadrosaurus~~ (removed to avoid competition with Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus)  
* Hypsilophodon  
* ~~Maiasaura~~ (removed due to overcrowding, existing specimens relocated to Isla Sorna)  
* ~~Meganeura~~ (removed when it became apparent that obtaining Meganeura DNA would be impossible)  
* Metriacanthosaurus  
* Microceratus  
* ~~Mussaurus~~ (removed due to later scientific discoveries)  
* ~~Ornitholestes~~ (removed to avoid competition with other small predators)  
* ~~Othnielia~~ (removed due to obscurity and overcrowding)  
* Pachycephalosaurus  
* Parasaurolophus  
* ~~Procompsognathus~~ (removed due as a safety measure and due to overcrowding; existing specimens terminated after population explosion)  
* Pteranodon (pterosaur)  
* Stegosaurus  
* ~~Styracosaurus~~ (removed to avoid competition with Triceratops)  
* Triceratops  
* Troodon  
* Tyrannosaurus rex  
* Velociraptor

A further revision was made during phase 3 of the park's construction. It added and removed still more animals:

* Ankylosaurus  
* Apatosaurus  
* Baryonyx  
* Brachiosaurus  
* Ceratosaurus  
* ~~Compsognathus~~ (removed after nearly restarting the population explosion that led to the Procompsognathus' removal; relocated to Isla Sorna without incident)  
* Dilophosaurus  
* Edmontosaurus  
* Gallimimus  
* ~~Hypsilophodon~~ (removed due to overcrowding; relocated to Isla Sorna)  
* Metriacanthosaurus  
* Microceratus  
* Mosasaurus (marine reptile)  
* Pachycephalosaurus  
* Parasaurolophus  
* Pteranodon (pterosaur)  
* Stegosaurus  
* Triceratops  
* ~~Troodon~~ (removed due to [DATA EXPUNGED])  
* Tyrannosaurus rex  
* Velociraptor

After the 1993 incident, the third list was destroyed and a brand new list had to be made when Jurassic World began construction in 2004. This list was not a new revision, but instead a completely new list, renamed "Simon Says" (a clever name thought up by Simon Masrani himself). The final list was as follows:

* Ankylosaurus  
* Apatosaurus  
* Baryonyx  
* Dimorphodon (pterosaur)  
* Edmontosaurus  
* Gallimimus  
* Metriacanthosaurus  
* Microceratus  
* Mosasaurus (marine reptile)  
* Pachycephalosaurus  
* Parasaurolophus  
* Pteranodon (pterosaur)  
* Stegosaurus  
* Suchomimus  
* Triceratops  
* Tyrannosaurus rex  
* Velociraptor

All of these species have since been cloned for the park, and all but one are still attractions there now, along with a new addition that shall be explained shortly.

So what of these animals that you can expect to see here at Jurassic World? Well, in order to answer that question, we will divide the lists of animals into two categories: Herbivores and Carnivores.

 **HERBIVORES:**  
Herbivorous dinosaurs are not quite as popular as their carnivorous relatives, but they're still a beautiful bunch of creatures with all the coolness and confidence such creatures need. What they lacked in sharp teeth or claws they made up for in sheer bulk and size, capable of easily defending themselves when faced with predators or other threats. 

In the first batch of clones created by InGen, there were many herbivores on the list, though not all of them were cloned. The first ones officially cloned were Triceratops, Brachiosaurus, Gallimimus, Parasaurolophus, Maiasaura, Hypsilophodon, Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Stegosaurus and Microceratus. The majority of these animals were either removed or sent to Isla Sorna, but several others remain, including Brachiosaurus, which are not currently featured as park attractions but instead roam free in the restricted area to the north of the park. Currently we have nine herbivores on display.

 **Ankylosaurus:**

* Name Meaning: "Fused Lizard"  
* Habitat: Western North America  
* Length 30 Feet  
* Weight: 6 Tons  
* Stance: Quadruped  
* Diet: Ferns and other low-growing vegetation  
* Age: Late Cretaceous, 68-66 Million Years Ago  
* Aggression Index: Medium  
* Park Attraction(s): Gyrosphere

Ankylosaurus is a large, robust dinosaur well-known for her thick armor and clubbed tail. These creatures are often seen swaggering along the Gyrosphere Valley, looking as impressive and cool as can be and eating ferns and grasses. Ankylosaurus is best looked at from a distance, though as they are among the few creatures that can damage the Gyrospheres. These lumbering plant eaters are so well protected that even their eyelids were armor plated!

The Ankylosaurus cloned by InGen differ from the original species due to the long spikes on the sides of her body, something the real Ankylosaurus lacked. This is the only major difference, though.

**Apatosaurus:**

* Name Meaning: "Deceptive Lizard"  
* Habitat: Western North America  
* Length: 75-90 Feet  
* Weight: 20-36 Tons  
* Stance: Quadruped  
* Diet: Ferns and conifer branches  
* Age: Late Jurassic, 150 Million Years Ago  
* Aggression Index: Low  
* Park Attraction(s): Gyrosphere, Cretaceous Cruise, Gentle Giants Petting Zoo (juveniles)

The largest animals in the park, Apatosaurus are herd living herbivores that eat any plant matter they can find. These enormous sauropods feed constantly and grow quickly (so you will often see baby sauropods disappear more quickly from the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo). Their main attraction is the Gyrosphere Valley, wherein guests can roll through a lovely safari to see these magnificent, gentle giants as they make earth shaking steps across the land. However, you can also see them in the Jurassic section of the Cretaceous Cruise, as well as adorable hatchlings in the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo. Due to their large size and upbringing in an enclosure wherein they can freely interact with human children, these dinosaurs are very docile compared to the other creatures in the park. 

Like all sauropods, Apatosaurus' most distinguishing feature is her long neck, which she uses to reach the tallest branches in trees. The true Apatosaurus would likely have been more bulky than the ones here in Jurassic World, though, and their skin would be more lizard-like as opposed to elephant-like.

**Edmontosaurus:**

* Name Meaning: "Edmonton Lizard"  
* Habitat: North America  
* Length: 35 Feet  
* Weight 4 Tons  
* Stance: Quadruped or Biped  
* Diet: Fruits and Vegetables  
* Age: Cretaceous  
* Aggression Index: Low  
* Park Attraction(s): Gallimimus Valley, Cretaceous Cruise

A large duckbilled dinosaur, closely related to the more well-known Parasaurolophus. Edmontosaurus will often make their presence known the same way their more famous cousins do--by bellowing loudly. While typically quadrupedal when walking, Edmontosaurus will occasionally get up on their hindlimbs to run. These creatures can be easily distinguished from Parasaurolophus with their longer heads and lack of a crest (male Edmontosaurus would likely have had small cockscombs on their heads, but like all the dinosaurs in the park, the Edmontosaurus are all female), as well as the nasal sacks above their beaks that they use to resonate their sounds. Edmontosaurus can most often be seen in the Gallimimus Valley and the Cretaceous Cruise.

The Edmontosaurus of Jurassic World are more or less perfectly cloned, being nigh identical to the real animal.

**Gallimimus:**

* Name Meaning: "Chicken Mimic"  
* Habitat: Mongolia  
* Length: 26 Feet  
* Weight: 500 Pounds  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Primarily Leaves and Fruit  
* Age: Late Cretaceous, 71-69 Million Years Ago  
* Aggression Index: Low  
* Park Attraction(s): Gallimimus Valley, Gentle Giants Petting Zoo (juveniles)

Despite their name, Gallimimus more closely resemble ostriches than they do chickens ("Ostrich Mimic" was already taken by their cousin Struthiomimus), and indeed are fast runners just like those big birds, reaching speeds of 30 miles per hour! Gallies are the very antithesis of the public illusion of what dinosaurs are, being small, graceful and agile creatures with a skittish and gentle demeanor. These dinosaurs were more like birds than reptiles, making the link between birds and non-avian dinosaurs even more clear. Indeed, a pure Gallimimus would have been covered in thick feathers, but due to corner-cutting done by InGen scientists, no feathers appear on our Gallimimus specimens.

Technically speaking, Gallimimus is not really a herbivore, but instead an omnivore that favors fruits and plants. Gallies also enjoy feeding on insects and grubs.

Shockingly, Gallimimus can be seen in the Gallimimus Valley, and adorable little baby ones can be seen in the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo.

**Microceratus:**

* Name Meaning: "Small Horned"  
* Habitat: North America and Asia  
* Length: 2.5 Feet  
* Weight: 14 Pounds  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Herbivore  
* Age: Cretaceous  
* Aggression Index: Low  
* Park Attraction(s): Cretaceous Cruise

Microceratus (formerly known as "Microceratops") was among the first wave of animals cloned for the old park, and was ultimately chosen as the token "small plant-eater" animal among the dinosaurs. The smallest of Jurassic World's dinosaurs, Microceratus requires sharp eyes to see it as it grazes in the Cretaceous Cruise.

Microceratus is a ceratopsian dinosaur, being a close relative of the famous Triceratops. Dr. Henry Wu expressed a desire to try and figure out how these two animals relationship can make it easier to create new dinosaurs.

**Pachycephalosaurus:**

* Name Meaning: "Thick-Headed Lizard"  
* Habitat: North America  
* Length: 16 Feet  
* Weight: 1000 Pounds  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Herbivore  
* Age: Cretaceous  
* Aggression Index: Medium  
* Park Attraction(s): Pachy Arena

Pachycephalosaurus is famous for its extremely thick head, which can be up to ten inches thick! These large, competitive dinosaurs are often seen bashing their heads together and keeping up a never ending battle for dominance. Despite being herbivores, the Pachycephalosaurus are fairly aggressive, ramming their heads into anything they perceive as a threat.

The Pachycephalosaurus are the only exceptions to the "all species are bred female to prevent unsupervised breeding" rule; because their head ramming is a strictly male behavior, all of the Pachycephalosaurus are male. Initially, this was met with both moral (for obvious reasons) and practical objections, with the latter bunch arguing that if there are no females to fight for then the Pachycephalosaurus will not butt heads. But then situational sexuality kicked in and sure enough the Pachycephalosaurus went on to battle each other for the right to mate with other males.

The Pachycephalosaurus in life were probably not able to bash heads the way our Pachycephalosaurus do, but they probably could bash into each others' sides.

**Parasaurolophus:**

* Name Meaning: "Near Crested Lizard"  
* Habitat: North America  
* Length: 40 Feet  
* Weight: 2 Tons  
* Stance: Quadruped/Biped  
* Diet: Herbivore  
* Age: Cretaceous  
* Aggression Index: Low  
* Park Attraction(s): Gallimimus Valley, Gyrosphere, Gentle Giants Petting Zoo (juveniles)

Famous for its long head crest, through which it emits loud trumpet-like calls, Parasaurolophus is the largest duck-billed dinosaur in Jurassic World. Parasaurolophus are known to wander along various parts of the park in herds, wherein folks can watch them in the fields grazing like massive cows. 

Parasaurolophus is a comparatively harmless animal, though if agitated it can do considerable damage with its tail. Paras can most often be seen in the Gyrosphere and Gallimimus Valleys, though juveniles can sometimes be seen in the petting zoo.

**Stegosaurus:**

* Name Meaning: "Roofed Lizard"  
* Habitat: North America  
* Length: 30 Feet  
* Weight: 5 Tons  
* Stance: Quadruped  
* Diet: Ferns and Cycads  
* Age: Late Jurassic, 155-150 Million Years Ago  
* Aggression Index: Low  
* Park Attraction(s): Cretaceous Cruise, Gyrosphere, Gentle Giants Petting Zoo

One of the most famous and iconic of all dinosaurs, Stegosaurus is well-known for the 17 broad plates on its back and the three-foot-long spikes on its tail. Stegosaurus is a fairly docile creature, though this is probably due to the fact that they aren't very smart. Stegosaurus' brain is only the size of a walnut, so small in fact that people once thought that these creatures had an extra brain in their hips to help swing their tails (we now know how incredibly ridiculous this theory was). Our Stegs are often seen grazing in the Gyrosphere Valley and sometimes eating ferns in the Cretaceous Cruise. They're also the only adult animals present in the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo.

**Triceratops:**

* Name Meaning: "Three-Horned Face"  
* Habitat: Western North America  
* Length: 30 Feet  
* Weight: 10 Tons  
* Stance: Quadruped  
* Diet: Low Growing Plants  
* Age: Late Cretaceous, 68-66 Million Years Ago  
* Aggression Index: Low  
* Park Attraction(s): Triceratops Territory, Gyrosphere, Gentle Giants Petting Zoo (juveniles)

Triceratops is another iconic dinosaur, often being known as the herbivorous adversary of the famous Tyrannosaurus. The Trikes here at Jurassic World were among the original creatures created at the old park, and a well known story about the 1993 incident relates how Dr. Ellie Degler helped former head veterinarian Dr. Gerald Harding nurse a sick Triceratops back to health. Baby Trikes can be seen in the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo, wherein kids can actually ride the little dinos! There's a good reason why the petting zoo is one of the most popular attractions at the park.

The Trikes in the park have several differences from the real animals. A noteworthy difference would be the lack of long quills on their tails. Another is that real Triceratops were likely very aggressive like rhinoceroses. 

**CARNIVORES:**

Carnivores are somewhat more popular than the herbivorous creatures, and for good reason: After all, meat-eaters aren't "boring"! Many carnivores were considered for the old park, and out of all of the originals, only five were chosen: Baryonyx, Metriacanthosaurus, Pteranodon, Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. Most of the rest were gone, except for the venomous Dilophosaurus, which now roam free in the ruins of the old park. Overall, we now have nine carnivores, seven of which are currently on public display. 

Interestingly enough, three of the carnivores are actually not true dinosaurs, instead belonging to other animal groups that existed at the time of the dinosaurs.

**Baryonyx:**

* Name Meaning: "Heavy Claw"  
* Habitat: River Deltas of Europe  
* Length: 30 Feet  
* Weight: 2 Tons  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Primarily Fish  
* Age: Early Cretaceous  
* Aggression Index: Medium  
* Park Attraction(s): Cretaceous Cruise

Baryonyx is a large fish-eating dinosaur, closely related to the majestic Spinosaurus whose skeleton graces the park's Main Street. Baryonyx hails from England and is a skilled wader and swimmer. It was a contemporary and possibly predator of the large ornithopod Iguanodon. Baryonyx often hunts fish in the Cretaceous Cruise river and can sometimes be seen fighting with larger dinosaurs, like Metriacanthosaurus and Suchomimus for territory rights.

The Baryonyx made by InGen are near perfect copies of the original, complete with a sparse amount of feathers on their heads and arms!

**Dimorphodon:**

* Name Meaning: "Two-Form Teeth"  
* Habitat: England and Mexico  
* Wingspan: 8 Feet  
* Weight: 3 Pounds  
* Stance: Quadruped/Winged  
* Diet: Fish and Insects  
* Age: Mid-Jurassic  
* Aggression Index: Medium  
* Park Attraction(s): Aviary

Dimorphodon is one of Jurassic World's two pterosaurs, or flying reptiles. Pterosaurs were not dinosaurs, but they were close relatives of them. Dimorphodon is the last of three pterosaurs bred by InGen, as well as the smallest. The first pterosaur species bred by InGen were a larger species called Cearadactylus, which were then followed by their more famous cousin, Pteranodon (see below). Dimorphodon was cloned last and ultimately chosen over Cearadactylus to join Pteranodon in the Jurassic World Aviary. Dimorphodons are small pterosaurs that live in groups and like to eat fish and insects. While not as aggressive as their larger neighbors, these pterosaurs can get nippy if provoked.

The pterosaurs overall suffered more in terms of accuracy than any of the other animals in Jurassic World, and as a big fan of pterosaurs this saddens me greatly. It was a necessary evil, though; unlike the dinosaurs and Mosasaurus, the pterosaurs had no living descendants and so InGen had to fill the gaps in their DNA with the only other creatures related to them, those modern dinosaurs known as the birds. Pterosaurs got more bird DNA than the dinosaurs did, by the virtue of both groups being capable of flight, and the result was a bizarre bunch of winged creatures that were a blend of reptile and bird.

Dimorphodon in life would have been a smaller more elegant animal. It likely spent more time on the ground than in the sky and preferred small mammals and lizards over fish.

**Indominus Rex:**

* Name Meaning: "Unbeatable King"  
* Habitat: Jurassic World  
* Length: Currently 40 Feet  
* Weight: TBD  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Carnivore  
* Origin: Hammond Creation Lab  
* Aggression Index: Very High  
* Park Attraction(s): Coming Soon

Ah yes, the Indominus Rex. Jurassic World's first genetically modified hybrid. A vicious, bloodthirsty creature worthy of Mary Shelly's writing, the perfect killing machine. This monster is highly intelligent and due to horrific childhood trauma, she's a ticking timebomb of murderous rage. Powerful and horrifying, she's one careless security guard away from escaping and wreaking havoc on the park, and when that day comes may God help us all...

Of course, all of that is just in the movie. In reality, the I-Rex is no more or less intelligent than the other creatures in the park, nor is she being treated any better or worse. Unlike the other movies based on Jurassic Park-related incidents, Jurassic World was the only movie not based on an actual event associated with Isla Nublar or Sorna. Instead, the film adaptation of Jurassic World was put together as a massive publicity stunt for the park as well as advertising the new Indominus Rex exhibit. The film was a rousing success and certainly got people pumped for the Indominus, though it got other folks (including PETA) sending angry emails to Dr. Wu accusing him of "cruelty to animals".

**Metriacanthosaurus:**

* Name Meaning: "Moderately Spined Lizard"  
* Habitat: England, Europe  
* Length: 26 Feet  
* Weight: 1 Ton  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Carnivore  
* Age: Mid-Jurassic  
* Aggression Index: High  
* Park Attraction(s): Cretaceous Cruise

Metriacanthosaurus is a somewhat more obscure species, built to stalk the Jurassic plains searching for food. These creatures can be seen in the Cretaceous Cruise, but since they rarely stray too close to the river, they're relatively safe compared to other carnivores.

Metriacanthosaurus was a breakthrough among the animals, being covered in a thin coat of feathers.

**Mosasaurus:**

* Name Meaning: Meuse River Lizard  
* Habitat: Seas of Europe and North America  
* Length: 60 Feet  
* Weight: 5 Tons  
* Bite Force: 13000 Pounds  
* Stance: Aquatic  
* Diet: Carnivore  
* Age: Late Cretaceous, 70-66 Million Years Ago  
* Aggression Index: High  
* Park Attraction(s): Mosasaurus Feeding Show, Underwater Observatory

One of Jurassic World's newest attractions as well as one of its most popular, the Mosasaurus is the biggest carnivore in the park, dwarfing even the Tyrannosaurus rex herself. The Mosasaurus is not a true dinosaur, instead being a giant aquatic lizard (she and her kind are closely related to monitor lizards). Mosasauruses hunt near the surface of the water, eating anything they can sink their teeth into, including fish, turtles, birds, pterosaurs and even smaller mosasaurs. Our Mosasaurus, however, is typically fed great white sharks that have been specifically cloned to act as bait for our Mosasaurus. And even worse, Mosasaurus has an extra set of teeth on her upper palate which ensures that any prey sliding down her throat won't be able to escape.

**Pteranodon:**

* Name Meaning: "Toothless Wing"  
* Habitat: North America, Europe  
* Wingspan: 18 feet  
* Weight: 70 Pounds  
* Stance: Quadruped/Winged  
* Diet: Fish  
* Age: Late Cretaceous  
* Aggression Index: High  
* Park Attraction(s): Aviary

Pteranodon is the other pterosaur bred by InGen and a personal favorite of mine. These large flying reptiles are housed in Jurassic World's gigantic Aviary alongside the smaller Dimorphodons, wherein they soar through the air, swooping down to snatch fish up from the waters below. The Pteranodons are similar to pelicans or gannets in behavior, often diving into the water and swimming for their prey, and roosting in cliffs high above the ground. The Pteranodons are also fiercely territorial, however, and will attack any perceived threats on sight. This is one of the key reasons that Cearadactylus had to be removed from the Aviary; despite Hammond's desire to include a more obscure species to accompany the Pteranodons, the two pterosaur species had a tendency to fight brutally among themselves for dominance.

The Jurassic World film included a dramatic scene in which a panicked Pteranodon carries off Katie McGrath and subjects her to a particularly nasty death scene. While the pterosaurs in Jurassic World do have grasping talons (unlike real pterosaurs), none of them are truly strong enough to carry a human in flight. InGen specified that such strength is no longer allowed in pterosaurs after the second Isla Sorna Incident.

**Suchomimus:**

* Name Meaning: "Crocodile Mimic"  
* Habitat: Africa  
* Length: 35 Feet  
* Weight: 3 Tons  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Carnivore  
* Age: Cretaceous  
* Aggression Index: Medium  
* Park Attraction(s): Cretaceous Cruise

One of the largest predators on Jurassic World, the fish-eating Suchomimus is a close relative of Baryonyx. It is easily distinguished from its cousin by its brilliant blue coloration, longer snout and large hump on its back. Suchomimus can be seen in the Cretaceous Cruise alongside its relative.

**Tyrannosaurus rex:**

* Name Meaning: Tyrant Lizard King  
* Habitat: Western United States  
* Length: 40 Feet  
* Weight: 9 Tons  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Flesh and Bone  
* Age: Late Cretaceous, 68-66 Million Years Ago  
* Aggression Index: High  
* Park Attraction(s): T. Rex Kingdom

Nothing dinosaur related would be complete without the king (or in this case queen) of the dinosaurs herself, the Tyrannosaurus rex! The T. rex at Jurassic World is famous as the original T. rex, the very first T. rex ever cloned by InGen, having been there to witness the 1993 incident with her own yellow, hawk-like eyes. At a total of forty years old, she's ancient by T. rex standards, but still as big and strong as ever, and has been living in her paddock here at Jurassic World for over 22 years. Nicknamed "Rexy" by the staff, the old queen is typically fed several tons of meat every day, with live feedings of goats and road flares being held every two hours as an extra treat, for both the guests and the animal.

Rexy wasn't always the only Rex on Isla Nublar; she was once accompanied by a juvenile (nicknamed "Princess") which lived in the same paddock sometime before the fall of the old park. Unfortunately, she died of natural causes before the incident took place. This was a major disappointment as the baby tyrant had reached a major breakthrough: She was covered in a full, thick coat of downy feathers.

**Velociraptor:**

* Name Meaning: "Swift Thief"  
* Habitat: Mongolia  
* Length: 15 Feet  
* Weight: 300 Pounds  
* Stance: Biped  
* Diet: Carnivore  
* Age: Cretaceous  
* Aggression Index: Very High  
* Park Attraction(s): Restricted

The Velociraptors are among the more controversial dinosaurs in the park. Masrani was somewhat reluctant to include the Velociraptors at first. The infamously checkered past of these agile and intelligent animals led to the problem of how these prowling birdlike dinosaurs would be showcased, if at all. Ultimately, it was decided that the raptors should be kept away from the public until they could ensure that they were safe for public display. This led to the hiring of 36-year-old Owen Grady, a former Navy man who had experience with training intelligent predators (dolphins) to assist in training the predatory dinosaurs.

The Velociraptors bred by InGen are closer in size to their relatives Achillobator and are covered in scales instead of feathers.

So now we've met the dinosaurs and their neighbors, but what of the rest of the park? Well, you'll find out in the next few chapters!


End file.
